Raiders Are Still Rebuilding
Brady made a subtle statement, but it’s probably the biggest bulletin point on his free-agency checklist. As a six-time Super Bowl champion, he’s accustomed to preparing for and playing in the postseason.
As a primary starter, Brady has missed the playoffs once—in 2002 when the Patriots went 9-7. Keep in mind, he only played one game in 2008—the other campaign in which New England missed the postseason at 11-5.
In an Instagram story, Brady had a text overlay that sent a clear message. “I’m not wearing a blazer to the Super Bowl next year.”
At Hard Stadium in Miami Gardens before Super Bowl LIV, Brady wore a blazer as one of the NFL’s all-time top 100 player honorees. Clearly, he’d prefer to play in February, which indicates his potential lean toward a contender.
Let’s be honest. The Raiders are still a rebuilding team—one that exceeded expectations early in the 2019 season (6-4) and fell apart late in the year (1-5).
We’re going into Year 3 of Gruden’s roster reconstruction with plenty of inexperienced players set to take big steps, but they’re not established yet. One season doesn’t catapult anyone to stardom—consistency and sustainability do.
Going into his age-43 season, Brady justifiably wants help around him. For the best assistance, it’s far more assuring to team up with veterans who’ve also been there and done that. The Raiders are still trying to establish a winning culture and close football games.
Since the 2002-03 campaign, the Raiders have one winning season and zero division titles. In order to flip the Silver and Black’s fortunes, Brady would need to arrive with multiple players to change a not-so-favorable recent history.
If Brady wants to trade in his blazer for a game-day jersey next February in Tampa, Florida, he’ll likely consider teams already in playoff contention or clubs that are legitimately a quarterback away from a long playoff run. Headed to Vegas, the Raiders need playmakers on every level of their defense and a lead wideout.